Tooth pick dispenser



J. ALLEN TOOTH PICK DISPENSER April 9, 1957 2 Shets-Sheet l Filed July 21. 1953 April 9, 1957 J. ALLEN TOOTH PICK DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 21,1953

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United States Patent- TOOTH PICK DISPENSER Jack Allen, Knoxville, Tenn.

Application July 21, 1953, Serial No. 369,367

1 Claim. (Cl. 221-196) This invention relates to a tooth pick dispensing device.

The invention is more particularly directed to a device for dispensing unwrapped tooth picks, one at a time in succession, for the two-fold purpose of economy and sanitation.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an unwrapped toothpick dispensing device which is characterized with the capacity of housing a bulk of tooth picks in stacked relation and which embodies finger operable means for successively delivering individual tooth picks to a position accessible to the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tooth pick dispensing device of the above noted general character which is relatively simple in construction, durable in use, and highly efiicient in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the body or housing member and the hinged cover member.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the dispensing plate, directing plate, and delivery plate.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the complete dispensing device.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the device.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view as observed in the plane of line 55 on Figure 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the improved device comprises a body or housing member which, While possessing the required utility, is artistic in appearance and is preferably constructed of molded plastic material.

The housing 10, as is more clearly shown in Figure 1, includes opposite side walls 11, a bottom wall 12, a rear wall 13, a front panel 14 and a top panel 15.

The rear wall 13 terminates short of the top of the housing and the upper edge thereof and adjacent edge of top panel 15 provides an opening 16 in the rear and top of the housing.

The forward edge of the bottom wall 12 is curved upwardly as at 17 and a rectangular opening 18 is provided between said edge and the adjacent edge of the front panel 14.

An opening 19 is provided between the upper edge of the front panel 14 at the adjacent edge of the top panel 15.

The housing member 10 is provided with laterally opposed vertical slots 20 in the side walls 11 and a pair of leaf springs 21 are molded into the bottom wall 12.

The housing member is further provided with molded rubber grommet cushion feet 22.

A tooth pick dispensing plate 23 is provided and same includes a vertical rectangular portion 24 movably disposed within the openings 16, an inwardly and downwardly inclined portion 25 and a second vertical portion 26 depending from the portion 25.

The dispensing plate further includes a top finger en- 2,788,154 Ice Patented Apr. 9, 1957 together with the guiding contact of the forward vertical edge 27 of the head 27 provides for vertical reciprocation of the dispensing plate.

A directing plate 30 is suitably supported within the housing member 10 in an inwardly and downwardly in clined position with its inner free edge disposed adjacent the vertical portion 26 of the dispensing plate, and plate 30 provides with the portion 25 of the dispensing plate the downwardly converging bottom wall of a tooth pick hopper 31 within the housing member.

The hopper is provided with a bulk of unwrapped tooth picks P through the opening 19 and which opening is normally closed bya transparent plastic cover 32 having an aperture 33 extending therethrough adjacent an edge thereof and which aperture is intersected by notches 34 in said edge.

The notches receive projections 35 on the upper edge of the front panel 14 which have apertures 36 for axial alignment with aperture 33 and which apertures receive a pivot pin 37.

The lower vertical portion 26 of the dispensing plate 23 is provided with a pair of notches 38 in its lower edge and which receive the free ends of the springs 21 which yieldably urge the dispensing plate upwardly with flange 28 engaged with the lower face of the top panel 15.

The vertical portion 26 of the dispensing plate is provided with a transverse groove 39 whose lower edge is normally disposed in substantial alignment with the upper surface of the directing plate 30 as is indicated in Fig. 5.

A tooth pick delivery plate 40 is suitably supported within the housing member 10 in outwardly and downwardly inclined position and having its inner edge disposed adjacent the vertical portion 26 of the dispensing plate.

The delivery plate 40 is provided with a pair of raised tracks 41 whose outer ends as well as the outer edge of the plate 40 are upwardly curved and the plate 40 is provided with a notch 42 intermediate the forward ends of the tracks to facilitate recovery of a tooth pick P.

The outer end of the delivery plate rests upon the upwardly curved edge 17 on the bottom wall and the front opening 18 in the housing provides for access to a tooth pick in the event it fails to roll or slide to the other ends of the tracks.

The entire device is preferably constructed of molded plastic material with the exception of the springs 21 and pivot pin 37 and preferably the dispensing plate is colored while the cover 32 is transparent for usual inspection of the supply of toothpicks within the hopper 31.

In operation of the improved device above described, the hopper 31 is supplied with a bulk of toothpicks P through the opening 19 which is normally closed by the transparent cover 32.

When a toothpick is desired, the dispensing plate 23 is urged vertically downward against the action of springs 21 by finger pressure engagement with the head 27 having the legend Push thereon.

Vertical downward movement of the dispensing plate is limited by the bottom walls of slots 20 but its movement will be such as to bring the upper edge of groove 39 into substantial alignment with the bottom surface of the directing plate 30 whereby a toothpick P will be admitted to the delivery plate 40. Upon release of finger pressure on the dispensing plate, the springs 21 will immediately return same to its normal position of .Figure 5.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto and various changes may be made in the design, arrangement and combinationof parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as will now likely occur to others skilled in the art. For a definition of the limits of the invention, reference should be had to the appended claim.

Having set forth my invention .in accordance with a preferred structural embodiment tthereof, what '1 claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A toothpick dispenser, comprising a housing including opposite side walls, a bottom wall, a top panel, a rear wall, and a .front panel disposed intermediate said bottom wall and said top panel, said top panel and said front panel providing an opening therebetween for receiving a bulk of toothpicks, said ,front panel and said bottom wall providing a toothpick retrieving opening therebetween, a flat downwardly inclined toothpick directing plate extending inwardly from said front panel and having a free edge disposed parallel with and intermediate said rear wall and said front panel, said side walls being provided with a pair of laterally opposed vertical slots, a toothpick dispensing plate disposed adjacent said rear wall and having a pair of laterally opposed projections movably disposed within said slots, said slots being longer than said projections for limited vertical movement of the dispensing plate, said dispensing plate further includ ing a horizontal flange engageable with the lower face of said top panel, spring means supported on said bottom Welland engaging the lower end ofsaid dispensing plate yieldably holding same in upper normal position with said flange engaged with said top panel, a finger engageable head portion on the upper end of said dispensing plate, said dispensing plate including an intermediate portion inclined inwardly and downwardly toward said free edge of the directing plate,.said dispensing plate further including a lower vertical portion disposed adjacent the inner edge of said directing plate and being provided with a. transverse groove whose lower edge is normally aligned with the upper surface of said directing plate for receiving successive toothpicks, a delivery plate disposed within said housing and being inclined downwardly from said vertical portion of the dispensing plate to said retrieving opening and having its inner edge adjacent said vertical portion for receiving successive toothpicks upon successive downward movements of said dispensing plate limited by said cooperating slots and projections and the upper edge of said groove being aligned with the lower surface of said directing plate in the delivery position of the dispensing plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 453,383 Graves June 2, 1891 1,175,971 Miller Mar. 21, 1916 1,425,416 Prihoda Aug. 8, 1922 2,255,992 Ulibarr Sept. 16, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,473 Great Britain of 1911 343,205 Italy Sept. 17, 1936 

